How To Wash Wool Socks

Wool can be a nightmare when it comes to cleaning, so how do you go about washing your wool socks? You don't want them to shrink up on you and get ruined in the wash. Face it, your kids don't need another pair of wool socks handed down to them.

What you need to wash a pair of wool socks:

A sink with a drain stopper

Mild detergent

Cold water

Clean towel

Fill up the sink with cold water. You don't need a very large area to wash a pair of wool socks. Make sure that the sink is clean before you fill it up. Heat shrinks fabric, even wool. Make sure you use cold water.

Use a very mild detergent. Laundry detergent used for baby's clothing or products like Woolite are good. Harsh detergents are not a friend to wool. Wool is a very irritable fabric that shrinks with too much action. Add just a teaspoon or two of detergent to the cold water and mix it up easily to avoid suds.

Soak your wool socks. Gently place the pair of wool socks into the sink. Do not ball them up or squeeze them. Any action to the fabric at all is what causes the fibers to constrict and shrink. Let the wool socks absorb the water on their own. Soaking your socks for a few hours will clean them.

Drain the water and rinse your wool socks. Once the sink has been drained, leave the drain unplugged. Make sure your wool socks are lying flat in the bottom of the sink. Run cold water over the socks until the water runs clear.

Towel dry the wool socks. Lay a clean and dry towel out flat. Place your wool socks side by side on the towel. Slowly roll your socks up in the towel to absorb most of the water. Do not wring out the water.

Lay your socks out to dry. Find a clean flat surface like a drying rack or a countertop. Lay your socks flat on the surface and let them air dry. It may take a few days for your wool socks to dry completely. Periodically flipping them from side to side will help wool socks dry faster.